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C/C++ Pointers vs Java references
Pointers
In C, C++ programming languages, a pointer is a variable that holds the address of another variable.
example
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
//int variable
int i = 8;
//pointer variable
int * pI;
//assign the address of i to its pointer
pI = &i;
//print the number
cout<<i<<endl;
//print the address of the number
cout<<pI<<endl;
//print the value pointed by pointer
count<<*pI<<endl;
//change the value of variable using its pointer
*pI = 10;
//print the number
cout<<i<<endl;
}Output
8 0x7fee1ae7bc94 8 10
References
In java programming languages, a reference is a variable that refers to an object and using which we can utilize the properties and functions of an object.
example
public class Tester {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Student student = new Student();
student.setName("Mahesh");
System.out.println(student.getName());
}
}
class Student {
String name;
public String getName() {
return name;
}
public void setName(String name) {
this.name = name;
}
}Output
Mahesh
Differences between Pointers and References
Following are some of the differences between C/C++ Pointers and References.
No Pointer Arithmetic in Java. Pointers are memory addresses and a pointer points to a memory address of a variable. In C/C++, a pointer can be incremented/decremented to point to a new address but in Java, arithmetic operations on references are not allowed.
No Pointer Manipulation in Java Although a reference internally uses a pointer but Java does not allow any manipulation to an underlying pointer using a reference variable. It makes java more secure and robust. A reference can refer to an object or be null only.
No Casting of pointers in Java In C/C++, we can cast int* to char* but in Java, only related objects can be cast e.g. object of the same hierarchy.
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